GCU students protest over dearth of clean drinking water in Lahore

LAHORE: A large number of students from Government College University protested against the unavailability of clean drinking water, which is a basic necessity of life, at the institution.

Chanting slogans against the university’s administration, the protesters stated that the administrators do not bother to provide clean drinking water to the students at various departments at the varsity. Most of the water coolers need to be repaired while filtration plants also need to be installed.

One of the students said that in the sizzling heat, a lack of clean drinking water causes a lot of frustration among students. She said that students have talked to the administration about the issue in the past but nobody has bothered to pay attention to the issue. “Therefore, this time around we planned to protest.”

Another student speaking on the condition of anonymity said that not only students at the university premises but also those living in GCU hostels were thirsting for clean drinking water. “Our demand is genuine as many students are already suffering from hepatitis due to the consumption of contaminated water.”

There are around 11,000 students at GCU and there are not enough water coolers to accommodate the student body, explained another. Most of them have been out-of-order for a long time, he said. How can four to five water coolers be enough for thousands of students, he questioned.

Speaking to The Express Tribune GCU PRO Mussadiq Sultan said that there are more than one dozen water coolers at the varsity and he didn’t know why students were protesting.